Danball Senki is an PlayStation Portable RPG developed by Level-5. Players assume the role of Ban, a young boy who is a fan of LBX, or Little Battler eXperience, a line of toys which are equal parts model kit and fully functioning robot. They are most commonly used to battle each other in miniature diorama arenas. One day, he is approached out of the blue by a mysterious female scientist who hands him an attache case containing a prototype LBX called "AX-00", which the scientist claims is "the key to saving the world". Unbeknownst to Ban, however, is the fact that the model is wanted by a mysterious group, and he soon finds himself being hunted by the group's masked agents.

An Updated Re-release titled Danball Senki Boost was released in 2011, followed by a further-updated Nintendo 3DS port titled Danball Senki Baku Boost in 2012.

The sequel, Danball Senki W, came for PSP and Play Station Vita in 2012. A Nintendo 3DS Updated Re-release has been announced, titled Danball Senki W Super Custom and scheduled for a July 2013 release.

The anime adaptation already finished its run, as well the anime adaptation of Danball Senki W.

A second sequel, titled Danball Senki Wars, has been announced for the Nintendo 3DS. The anime adaptation of Wars already began in April 2013.

This series contains examples of:

Ace Custom: The norm for good players. Also LBX producers hire test players, for whom special models are produced.

In Danball Senki W, after the first fight with Dr. Mummy's gigantic (compared to an LBX) anti-LBX "Killerdroid" called Wyvern, Prof. Yamano modifies Perseus, Elysion and Minerva, enabling them to combine into the anti-Killerdroid "Super LBX" Sigma Orbis.

Conspicuous CG: The LBX battles in the anime are rendered with 3D models, while the characters are in 2D.

Disappeared Dad: Ban's father supposedly died in an airplane crash, but he is actually alive and being forced to work for the Innovators (not those ones), the group that wants Ban's AX-00.

Does This Remind You of Anything?: The first time they use Odin involves having to send it well outside the handphone controllers' range, but Tiny Orbit has created the Sparkbload, a powerful system that can control an LBX miles away. It basically resembles a cockpit simulator. They even launch Odin on a runway!

Load-Bearing Boss: The defeat of Mizel Olegion in W causes the warheads in his flying fortress to start counting down.

Invoked in Wars when the damage to the Second World structure that sends Seredy Kreisler into the drink also causes Second World to crumble.

MacGuffin: Ban's AX-00. Its core skeleton contains a mysterious item called the "Platinum Capsule", inside which is contained data on how to create a device called the "Eternal Cycler" that could theoretically produce infinite energy. Naturally, the Innovators getting their hands on it would be a very bad thing.

Wars has the Parasite Keys, a secret code in three parts to enter what could be considered the administration level of Second World.

W repeats this feat in the siege of our heroes' home base alleged to be Detector's base by the government, and masterminded by Omega Dyne.

Mood Whiplash: Two instances: after Ban's victory in the Artemis final, and after the successful defense against the siege of Tiny Orbit.

My Little Panzer: LBX definitely won't be approved as children's toys in the real world (not with live ammo, anywaynote as mentioned previously, there are actual model kits available). Lampshaded in the series when it's stated that LBX toys have been banned for sale in the past until the creation of fortified cardboard due to injuries and other accidents.

Never Trust an Opening: The game's opening movie shows what seems to be a relatively light-hearted, standard Real Robot anime... until the very end, where you see that the robots that you've assumed are several feet tall are actually around six inches tall.

All those people in the shadows seen in the first opening of W? They never appear!

"The year is 2046. The invention of fortified cardboard material, able to withstand any shock and retain its shape, would revolutionise the shipping industry - but the humble cardboard box itself would see a new use, as an arena for the children's battling hobby robots or LBXs. These battles would later be known as — Danball Senki!"

Otaku: Ban and co. first encounter one of them in Artemis, and then a whole group in Akihabara Tournament.

Rule of Three: All over the place. LBX players tend to wind up in 3-man teams, with Ban, Ami and Kazu the most prominent one. Danball Senki Wars has LBX academies which require 3 tournament victories to qualify for enrollment.

Serial Escalation: What the LBX can do just gets crazier as the series progresses, repeatedly breaking in-series technological limits.

Serious Business: The LBX toys, apparently. The business is SO serious that at one point Ban and his friends are asked by the brother of the CEO of a major LBX manufacturer to help him stop an assassination attempt on the Prime Minister of Japan, which is ALSO being carried out by an LBX.

#25 is overflowing with these as we enter not-Akihabara. There's a Shin Getter on a shelf, and we see a cosplayer dressed as a purple recolor of Ryo. There's also this girl who writes in a "Never-Forgive-You-Notebook", read in Japanese as "Yurusenai-desu Note." And what looks like Ojamajo Doremi costumes — on big hairy men.

In W, we have Knight Mode for Elysion, Burning Mode for Minerva, and Strike Mode for Perseus. Additionally, we have Demonic Mode for Achilles Deed and Giga Voltaic Mode for Zeus. And the O-Legion has his choice of several existing ones.

Wars has a more straightforward one with the Dot Blastriser, which actually unfolds and sprouts blades.

Toyless Toyline Character: Not all the LBXs make it into the model kit line, but they lampshade it by having some familiar looking weapons (Gekkoumaru's sword and Perfect ZX-3's combo weapon) in weapon add-on sets. Yagami Eiji's LBX General gets delayed to being released with the W toyline despite getting a couple of scenes in season 1.

Tropes in Danball Senki W:

A.I. Is a Crapshoot: The Adam and Eve AIs in W. After the real bad guys go down, they realize they're next and seize control of the Kill Sat. Even worse, after they're taken down they leave a 'child' behind, Mizel.

Bait and Switch: W #36. You fully expect the Elysion and Perseus to go down with theSuicide Bomber LBXs, especially with the debut of Ban and Hiro's new mechs around the corner. Instead, Kaidou Jin and Haibara Yuuya sweep in for the save.

Crazy-Prepared: The assassination plot in W. After the main signal router LBX is destroyed by Ban and Hiro, it turns out there is yet another back up one. Also the assassin avoids being found by putting dummy signal transmitters all over the stadium where he's working.

Disney Death: Seems to be headed this way with Lex and Dr. Mummy, but is ultimately subverted when it is revealed that Dr. Mummy's true identity was his sister Hiyama Mami all along.

Early-Bird Cameo: The Icarus Zero and Icarus Force appear in teasers for the Crossover movie with Inazuma Eleven, well before their in-show debut. Once the movie starts screening, new teasers with Odin MK2 and Achilles D9 come out.

Nerf: In Danball Senki W, the Super Modes that you can give your LBXes in the form of Mode Chips are greatly nerfed from the first game; each super mode only gives one stat buff or special ability while it's active.

No Social Skills: W has one-shot character Gojou, who has to input his words into his LBX to make it Siri his speech for him. Turns out later on he's a Badass Baritone.

Tropes in Danball Senki Wars:

Aluminium Christmas Trees: The fact that Toujou Rikuya is getting special protection, not just for housing a MacGuffin in his LBX but for being the prime minister's son. Real Life countries with mandatory military service will sometimes allow a whole platoon an easier time if the sons of politicians are conjugated in them, earning the term "white horse platoon."

Appropriated Appelation: Bandit is the rather appropriate name given to the unaligned platoon seemingly out to bring down all other platoons. Their real name? Ezeldarm.

Refuge in Audacity: Bandit, outed as the Ezeldarm platoon, which cannot be disbanded as Seredy Kreisler justifies their existence as an equivalent to subversive terrorist cells in the real world. Also he'd blow the secret of Second World worldwide if they did anything to him.

Remember the New Guy: Thanks to a mandatory media blackout, nobody even brings up the massive World Savers terrorist group until #30.

Retraux: The entire island housing Kamui Daimon Academy has been built in the style of '60s Japan, supposedly influenced by the period of national growth and development. Even the TVs are black and white, by god.

Timed Mission: The entire premise of War Time, with the subversion that all units are merely frozen on time-out and Un Paused the next day. Even with War Time extended to 2 hours, this can still happen.

We Hardly Knew Ye: Two members of Jenock Squad 3 are still in the OP after being dropped from the team and replaced, TWICE.

Wham Episode: #17-18. All those training missions are NOT preparing our heroes to protect the world, but actual Combat by Champion battles deciding real world politics. And Kaidou Jin is revealed to be fielding a platoon of his own, explaining the connection needed to get Kojou Asuka's brother involved.

#30. Seredy Kreisler is not only really 90 years old, but he AND Gendo's butler Ayabe are with the World Savers terrorist group, aiming to crack open Second World and take the secrets to real world politics for themselves, all under the guise of freeing the Kamui Daimon students from the real world conspiracy.

#33. Seredy Kreisler, seemingly defeated when they sink his flying fortress in Second World, mobilises troops in the real world to occupy the whole island.

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